4:06 am moon... Mons Pico view, WOW!!

Incredible binoviewed view of the moon this morning through 13T6 eyepieces. Mons Pico, the isolated little mountain directly below the crater Plato at the top, was gorgeous. I was amazed to read that it's only 2.4 km high... but what a shadow it casts! And Pico Beta, directly below it, is just 1.9 km high. I haven't really spent time studying these little guys before, but they are awesome, standing there alone, so small but extremely prominent and visible. I'll be looking for them every month.

Here's the original version of the picture (afocal, point and shoot camera handheld at the lens of a binoviewer):

Hahaha yeah, you weren't the only one...it was truly a beautiful, awe-inspiring view, wasn't it? Yeah I was going to bring in the scope and attempt to sleep, but I hadn't looked at the sky for an hour or so, and when I saw how clear it got I couldn't resist... gotta love the 3-5am moon!

I was looking at the photos I took this morning and I found another one that also provides some "morning memories", so I'll post it here. Again, handheld point and shoot camera at the lens of a binoviewer. Great view!!

The Promontoria LaPlace and Heraclides were beautiful studies in contrast, this morning. LaPlace was facing into the sunset, gleaming bright with the terminator nearly at its back. Heraclides was casting a blunt triangle as the sun set behind it. Worth a look, indeed!

I saw it the same night up to midnight here. I came back to it to gaze many times during the evening. The shadow showed the shape of the peaks so clearly. It made for a great evening.

Thanks for sharing your pictures.

Now I want to see it with the shadow the other way during the waning part of the cycle.

That's awesome, thank you very much for mentioning that. Yeah the shadow was especially dramatic. Fun to know that others were watching the same thing!! I can't wait to see it again.

There is something about Mons Pico just standing there all alone, really kind of isolated compared to all the other visible mountains... actually very tiny, yet looking so tall and prominent...

It never looks quite the same, lunation to lunation. That keeps me coming back.

It's interesting... when I first got my present scope a few months ago, at first I was stunned by the amount of detail I could see on the moon. WOW. Then, after 3-4 months of viewing, like many others, I started to see the moon as a cool object but basically a source of light pollution and less interesting than the planets. HOWEVER, with the experience of several months of trying to eke out detail on planets, with the more experienced astronomer's eye, if you will, the moon is really incredible. So much detail to explore. There's absolutely nothing boring or polluting about it, it's gorgeous and offers much, much more detail than any other space object. I'm definitely a lifetime member of the lunie bin. :flower:

It's 9 PM - The sky is full of high clouds and Venus is completely obscured. But wait, not all is lost. The moon is right in that nice phase to see Mons Pico again. Have another look ! Mons Piton is coming up too.

And away to the south is a nice black crater with its central peak lit right up. I think it is Moretus. Not a long evening, but some really nice views. And now I leave the mosquitos to starve...

BAH, I would love to see it, but it's been cloudy and rainy for days. Also, I usually do my observing to the SE due to the layout of the observing area, so I usually don't catch this phase of the moon except during daylight hours... which right now I'd gladly take!! But alas, no Pico for me. Great tip though. I'll have to wait. I'm sure lonely little Pico enjoyed your company... not to mention Piton, and Moretus.

5:30 AMJust before sunrise (here and there): our friend is back again.A bright peak in the middle of darkness. Sun just touching Tenerife too. Worth getting up early.Now to get ready for work...Did anyone else see it this morning? First look at the moon with my new refractor. Lots more fun to come.

Lucky! Thanks very much for the Pico update. Here in Japan it's the rainy season and there's just a wall of cloud in the sky. I just have to wait it out, several more weeks to go probably. Anyway it's great to know that little Pico is still there!!

Congrats on your new refractor, that's awesome. Gotta love exploring the surface of the moon with a refractor, what an experience.

Mons Piton was just right tonight with its shadow all the way to the terminator. Plato and Mons Pico still in the dark. They will be there tomorrow. I will miss Plato brightening up this time around - The earth is in the way...This place is real fun to watch. I caught it in early twilight before the clouds and skeeters moved in. A friend who is staying here tonight was impressed (by the moon, not the skeeters!).

Mons Piton was just right tonight with its shadow all the way to the terminator. Plato and Mons Pico still in the dark. They will be there tomorrow. I will miss Plato brightening up this time around - The earth is in the way...
This place is real fun to watch. I caught it in early twilight before the clouds and skeeters moved in. A friend who is staying here tonight was impressed (by the moon, not the skeeters!).

Great report. You're lucky. Rainy season continues here... a few hours ago when the moon was still up, it was totally hazy. You could see a pathetic 1 star in the sky. BAH

Out last night trying to get a picture of the Rupes Recta feature and decided to do a set of shots of the entire lit up section and I think that same mountain caught my eye. If I got it right this is tha same mountain with the lighting on the opposite side. If I got the wrong one I am sorry, it just seemed to be sticking up like a finger and I couldn't resist.